When one hears the
word aristocracy, the picture of a king, queen, or nobleman comes to
mind. The word aristocracy, which is a form of government, comes
from the Greek words aristos and kratos, which mean the “rule by the
best”. Some have described Britain as being a ‘class ridden
society’, a society which is still based on wealth. In Britain, the
aristocracy refers to the upper class--the wealthy and ruling class.
This class is predominately made up of members of royalty and
nobility. Many do not know that there is a distinction between
nobility and royalty in regards to the aristocracy in Britain. If
one is deemed royalty, it means that they were born into their
position. Therefore only the king and queen and their direct
relations can be considered royalty. On the other hand, nobility is
a title conferred upon a person if they meet certain requirements,
which include being wealthy and already being a part of the
aristocratic population. It was common for royalty to confer titles
of nobility on these members of the society. In the past, those
owning great tracts of land were assured of wealth and political
power. Along with their land, the British aristocrats usually
possessed valuable works of art and elegant homes. In today’s modern
Britain, the aristocracy is still alive and well. Research has shown
that approximately 70% of the land is owned by only 0.6% of the
population. A great majority of these land owners are from the same
families that owned the land in the 19 century. This leads us to the
British aristocracy today.

In Britain today, the most visible member of the aristocracy is
Queen Elizabeth. Born in 1926, Queen Elizabeth was the daughter of
Prince Albert, the Duke of York, and Elizabeth, the Duchess of York.
She has a sister, Princess Margaret. In 1947, Elizabeth married
Prince Philip, who was then given the title of Duke of Edinburgh. The
first child of Elizabeth and Phillip was Charles, followed by Anne,
Andrew, and Edward. At the time, Prince Phillip issued a formal
letter allowing the children to have royal and princely status,
which would not have been normally allowed. There are now several
members of Queen Elizabeth’s family who are in line as her
successor.

The first in line after Queen Elizabeth is her son Prince Charles,
the Prince of Wales. Because of the manner in which the line of
succession is arranged, the British Crown follows the male line, so
the next in line would be Prince Charles’ two sons, William and
Henry. Going further down the line, the fourth in line would be
Andrew, the second oldest of the Queen’s sons, followed his
daughters Beatrice, born in 1988, who will be fifth in line, and
Eugenie, born in 1990, who will be sixth in line for the Crown.
Queen Elizabeth’s youngest child, Edward Antony, was born in 1964,
and will be seventh in line for the throne. Eighth in line is
Edward’s second child, James. It continues this way down the line.

Although the members of Queen Elizabeth’s family are often thought
of as doing nothing to gain the throne, the fact is that they all
have found a way to serve the country in which they live. Queen
Elizabeth is well known for her royal duties, such as presiding over
the opening of Parliament. However, she is also a member of over 600
charities, such as volunteer organizations for the youth of Britain
as well as those for wildlife preservation. When she turned 80 years
old, she informed her family that she has no intention of abdicating
the throne. As she is in good health, she plans to continue in her
present role, with her private and public activities, as long as
possible.

Queen Elizabeth’s heirs are also involved in volunteer and
charitable activities. Prince Charles supports many environmental
projects and is also the president of a group of charities called
“The Prince’s Charities”. Altogether, he is a Patron or President of
approximately 400 organizations. His sons also share in his work
with charities. Prince William has been exposed to charitable work
since he was young, and today is active in many, including
Centrepoint, a homeless charity, and Mountain Rescue. Prince Harry
enjoyed accompanying his mother, Princess Diana, when she
volunteered at AIDS centers. Both William and Harry are planning to
train to be helicopter pilots with the RAF, following in the steps
of their father and uncle. The other members of the royal family
also take part in volunteer and charitable work.

The modern day aristocrats have tried not changed so much from those
in the past. Previously, those who were land owners were the richest
and most powerful in the country. In the past, individual wealth and
leadership was passed on to one’s children, so it was always known
where the leaders will be coming from. The estates in Britain have
survived many hardships-wars, famines, and depressions. But they may
not be as extensive in the future, do to various reasons, such as
dividing land up when one divorces, which in the past was looked
down on. It has been said that the ‘womb-to-tomb’ way of life among
the aristocrats does not exist today as it had previously. Today,
the richest people do not have nearly the power they used to have.
Although there is a large gap between the rich and poor, the
citizens of Britain are becoming more aware of these differences,
and have started questioning the aristocratic money and politics.
For instance, taxes are taken out of workers pay, but those who are
wealthy landowners do not pay taxes. It was even mentioned that
perhaps there should not be benefits paid to those on disability, in
order to allow the landowners to continue living tax free. In recent
years, various scandals have been revealed, and the growing middle
class is taking notice. Many people do not agree that land ownership
should be hereditary. Today’s citizens in Britain believe that one
should earn what they have, not just be given it because of who they
are. In addition, the middle class has entered into the area of
charity and volunteerism in the country. This is an area which was
usually left to the aristocrats. But today, almost anyone who wishes
can take part in the charitable activities throughout the country.

There are some who would like to revert back to the days of riches
and real estate ownership by the aristocrats, believing that this
would be the best direction for the country to go. But with the
growth of the middle class, Britain now has to listen to many voices
when making decisions, not just the wealthy. Although the past in
Britain was almost fairy tale like, it will have a hard time
remaining that way in the future. All the members of the
population-rich, middle class, and poor- want to be given a chance
to help shape the country, not only the aristocrats. As time goes
by, the aristocracy in Britain will remain, but most feel that the
continued growth of the middle class will allow for their greater
participation in all the aspects of running the country, and less of
a role by the aristocrats.